Howard League Blog
Informal comment from our Chief Executive, Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), and other contributors.
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Birmingham prison and other failures of oversight
G4S-run Birmingham prison is in the news today because it is failing catastrophically and this has prompted a public debate about the principle of private management of prisons. Read more
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Notes from an adjudication hearing
It seems apposite today to post a guest blog about justice in prisons. The Ministry of Justice is making exorbitant claims about making ten of the worst-performing prisons into models for the rest to follow, and all in one year. Read more
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One-size-fits-all punitive approaches in prison can have devastating consequences
The Howard League has been working on the issue of punishment in prison. We are particularly concerned about the imposition of additional days of imprisonment when people break rules. Read more
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Reinventing different ways of locking up children – a cautionary tale
Feltham prison holds boys and young adults. It has a terrible history, and because it is on the outskirts of London and is one of the biggest child jails it has drawn more public attention than other prisons holding children, but its story is similar to many other institutions that hold children in trouble. Read more
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Funding cut for Circles UK will have far-reaching consequences for public protection
A very important meeting is taking place in the Ministry of Justice today. The support grant to Circles UK has suddenly been cut – it was only £256,000. Read more
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Notes from the cells in a city police station
I like poking about in places of detention, meeting the front line staff and the people being detained. Not just prisons, but police stations and secure hospitals. Read more
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Community Justice and the future of probation
Forgive me but this blog will be a little longer than usual. We have been thinking a lot about the future of probation at the Howard League, given the train-wreck that was the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms introduced by Chris Grayling. Read more
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Notes from Dame Glenys Stacey’s evidence to the APPG on Women in the Penal System
The Howard League supports the All Party Parliamentary Group on Women in the Penal System (APPG), which has launched its Inquiry into the Sentencing of Women. Read more
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Prisoner voting
The Equalities and Human Rights Committee (EHRC) of the Scottish Parliament, a cross-party group, has published a report on prisoner voting. It sets out the ethical and some of the practical issues and reviews the evidence it gathered from a wide range of respondents. It is a positive contribution to a difficult debate. Read more
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Making a difference in prison
I have visited seven prisons in the last few weeks and have seen some good things going on. These have included private and public sector, locals and long-termers and women’s prisons. Read more
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